


Swiftly, Like A Thief

by autumndark



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, M/M, a bunch of other pairings if you squint, cat burglar! lucas, rookie policeman! mark, very soft and fluffy bc i am soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 07:55:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14328015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autumndark/pseuds/autumndark
Summary: Mark is a rookie police officer and Lucas is an apprentice thief.The police department is so busy running around trying to catch the infamous cat burglar behind a string of high-profile robberies that Mark barely has time to worry about his non-existent love-life.If Mark doesn’t keep his guard up, a handsome thief just might sneak up on him and run away with his heart.





	Swiftly, Like A Thief

**Author's Note:**

> hello i am here again to deliver to you that soft lumark content (please ship this with me ;A; /gets on my knees)
> 
> anyways i just really like the black military outfits from boss so i made a police station au  
> also can you believe that i really thought that this was going to be 5-6k words when i started this? what a fool

“Hey rookie, you done already?”

As Mark walks through the front doors of the police station, he hears a familiar loud voice calling for him from across the room and changes his course, obediently heading towards his boss’s office.

“Ah,  _hyung_.” whines Mark, slightly more petulantly than he would like to admit. “It’s been nearly half a year since I joined the team. Why are you still calling me ‘rookie’?”

“You’re the youngest one on the team, Mark. I’m afraid that the name’s gonna stick until we get another kid on the force.” replies Johnny, leisurely leant up on the doorframe and nodding his head sagely.

Uncrossing his arms, his boss walks around to his desk and sits down, retrieving a stack of papers from his drawer and starts rifling through them, muttering quietly under his breath, “Besides, everyone dotes on you and you're fun to mess with. Also, you’re kinda tiny.”

Johnny Seo is the captain of this district’s police department and has been serving the force for a long time even though he is still only in his twenties. He is well-respected by all of the officers in the Apgujeong branch, and is a hard-working and reliable leader yet he manages to maintain an easy camaraderie with his subordinates.

When Mark had first transferred here after being accepted, Johnny had been the one to guide and train him, taking the younger boy under his wing like a little brother.

It is no secret that the elder is quite fond of Mark at this point, but it also means that Mark is subject to Johnny’s teasing on a regular basis.

Mark furrows his eyebrows quizzically. “What was that, hyung?”

“Nevermind.” says Johnny, lifting a hand and waving it in the air dismissively. Continuing to sort through the files, he asks “So how was the patrol? Anything strange happen?”

“Well, there were a couple of noise disturbances complaints but Jungwoo-hyung and I took care of that easily. Also there was a report about a suspected robbery at the gas station but it turned out to be a false alarm, luckily.” replies Mark, dutifully.

Nodding, his boss looks up and confirms “Nothing else then? No suspicious activity around the Kang estate again?”

Last month, an antique golden statue had been stolen from the house of a wealthy family with strong political influence. Despite the security cameras and iron fences, the thief had easily snuck in and bypassed all security measures, pinching the statue and leaving nothing behind except for a playing card with the ten of hearts emblazoned on the design.

This was the latest occurrence in a long string of burglaries conducted by this particular cat burglar, nicknamed the ’Card Thief' by the department, whom had been running circles around the police department for over a year now, well before Mark joined the force.

Whoever they were, they had been a frequent source of headaches for Johnny who had to deal with answering to his higher-ups every time the cat burglar managed to evade capture and steal yet another item without much trouble.

“Nope, I’m afraid not.” sighs Mark, raking a hand through his short hair. “We only had a few routine speeding fines in the outer suburbs, pretty quiet night.”

“Good job, Mark.” praises Johnny, sending Mark a smile before abruptly slamming one folder shut and reaching for another one.

“Thanks hyung, but isn’t that a bad thing?” asks Mark, peering up at Johnny questioningly. "We can’t find any new leads on the Card Thief. What are you going to do?”

“Aww, are you worrying about me, rookie?” teases Johnny, making a move to ruffle the younger boy’s hair but Mark ducks and avoids it.

“ _Hyung_.” says Mark, drawing out the word and batting away Johnny’s hand.

Chuckling, Johnny concedes and drops his hand. 

“Don’t worry, I’m waiting for him to come to me.” replies the police captain secretively before dismissing Mark for the evening.

  
  
  
  
  
  


On his way out, Mark bids goodnight to the officers that are still present in the station.

“Hey hyung! I’m done for the day.” says Mark as he walks towards a man typing furiously on his keyboard, his head hidden behind the computer monitor. 

A face pops up and reveals Kim Doyoung, an officer that specialises in analytics and profiling, and is often found leading the team on cases which require more detective work. In Mark’s opinion, Doyoung is probably the smartest officer in the quadrant and he is always doling out tips and little pieces of advice for Mark to follow.

“Oh, hi Mark! Have you finished your patrol already?” greets Doyoung, beaming widely.

According to local office gossip, Kim Doyoung tends to resemble a rabbit and the effect is only magnified when he smiles, causing his cheeks to puff up at the sides. 

Nodding his head, Mark confirms “Yeah, just finished. Jungwoo-hyung is parking the car now.” He peers at the mess of documents surrounding the older man. “You look really busy, hyung."

“It’s about the same as usual.” laughs the elder, waving off Mark’s concern with a smile. “The Card Thief really doesn’t give us much to work with so I’m combing over some old stuff looking for any clues we might have missed.”

“I see.” says Mark, humming appreciatively. “I’ll leave you to it then. See you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Mark.” replies the other, rather cheerfully despite the late hour.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Following that conversation, Mark approaches two other officers that are standing huddled around a phone screen, bickering slightly.

“No, I’m not gonna send him that. That’s weird.” whispers Jaehyun, tapping furiously at the phone. 

Trying to snatch the device out of the other’s hands, Sicheng argues back. “Don’t be such a chicken, I’m sure he won’t mind.”

Hesitantly, Mark voices out when he gets closer “Um, is everything alright? Are you two fighting about something?"

“Hey, Mark.” says Jaehyun, smiling when he notices the smaller boy standing there. “Nah, he’s just trying to make me do something stupid. It’s not a big deal.”

Raising one eyebrow, Sicheng coolly explains to Mark, “Do you remember when Senior Inspector Lee visited the station a couple of weeks ago?” 

Mark nods, recalling the young man with the pretty face and intimidating eyes that Jaehyun had been captivated by. 

"Jaehyun got his number but he’s too scared to actually send him anything.” says Sicheng with a smirk, making another grab for Jaehyun’s phone.

Feeling pressured under the scrutiny of both Mark and Sicheng, Jaehyun quickly says “I’m not _scared_ , it’s just awkward because technically he’s the boss of my boss.”

“Yeah, but isn’t he like friends with Johnny-hyung?” ventures Mark, face scrunched up in amusement. “I don’t think he’ll find it weird if you text him.”

Lee Taeyong is the senior inspector currently in charge of overseeing the Gangnam prefecture and is a bit of a legend amongst the rookie police officers for becoming senior inspector at such a young age. Based on what Johnny has told him, Taeyong is apparently highly stressed, constantly worried about everything, and a veritable workaholic, but is actually very kind and the two of them have been friends since they started out as police officers.

“That’s exactly what I was saying!” exclaims Sicheng, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

The pair look as though they are about to start bickering again so Mark makes a hasty retreat while he still can, spitting out a quick farewell and promptly shuffling outside.

  
  
  
  
  
  


The night air is chilly but it is not as bitingly cold as it often is during winter and so Mark finds it rather refreshing.

Jungwoo skips up towards Mark, wrapping his outer jacket around himself tighter and making a displeased expression, commenting miserably. “It’s really cold. I don’t know how you can stand it, Mark."

Giggling, Mark says “You should get inside quickly then and warm up!”

“Ah, you’re right.” sniffs Jungwoo, shivering lightly. He pats Mark on the shoulder before quickly rushing off. “I’ll see you tomorrow okay? Get home safe Mark!”

“I will.” replies Mark with a smile, waving him off. "Goodnight, hyung.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Mark loves his job as a police officer but lately he feels somewhat empty when he returns home. 

Although, this may partly be due to the fact that he is still unused to returning to an empty apartment. 

It has been two months since his housemate Jaemin had packed up his things and moved out of the place to live with his boyfriend Jeno instead. Honestly, Mark is overjoyed for his two friends who have been skirting around the issue of moving in together for ages and have been dating for even longer. 

Privately, he and Donghyuck had even been making bets on how long it would take before their friends would finally take the next step in their relationship however Mark cannot help but feel the tiniest twinge of sadness whenever he sees how happy the pair are in their new place.

Mostly, Mark writes the feeling off as loneliness due to suddenly having a two-person apartment to himself. Plus, Donghyuck teases the couple so often that it is hard to feel jealous of them but perhaps a small part of him is.

Jealous.

And just a little bit lonely.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


The police captain does not have to wait for long for the Card Thief to come to him because several days later something arrives in the mail.

“We’ve received another one.” announces Johnny as he walks into the main room of the police station, brandishing a small envelope in his fingers.

“Really? It’s been a while since the last time.” comments Doyoung, looking up from his laptop and trailing his eyes over the item with interest.

Occasionally, in traditional cat burglar fashion, the Card Thief has been cheeky enough to send the police department a little note with a clue about the whereabouts of his next robbery taking place. 

Slipping on a white cloth glove, Johnny opens the envelope and extracts a single playing card. The plastic card has a normal blue background, characteristic of the Bicycle brand cards commonly used by magicians and casinos alike.

“That’s odd.” says Johnny, turning the card over in his hand and squinting down at it.

“What’s wrong?” asks Mark, stretching his neck to try and see for himself.

“It’s not a number ten card this time.” replies Johnny, perplexed. He flips the card around for everyone else to see. 

The red and black design of a Joker is clearly displayed in the centre of the card and in the white space surrounding it, words have been scribbled in black pen near the corner.

“A joker.” mutters Doyoung contemplatively, furiously flipping through a binder of papers.

Squinting and leaning in to get a better look, Jaehyun asks “What does it say?"

“It’s an address and a time. Probably the scene of the Card Thief's next crime.” says Johnny, breathing out a sigh and glaring balefully at the card. “I suppose he’s getting cocky again now that we haven’t caught him yet. But what I don’t understand is why send a Joker, suddenly."

“Do you think it’s a trap?” says Sicheng quietly from the back, resting his cheek on his palm.

“I think it’s a risk we have to take.” says Jaehyun, shrugging his shoulders as he chips in. “We can’t just ignore it anyway.”

“Agreed.” nods Johnny, walking over to one of the free computers and typing on the keyboard, pulling up a map. Assessing the location on the screen, he voices “I checked out the address and it leads to one of the museums in the city, a slightly smaller one. I’ll call them up and warn them, as well as ask if they have anything of value that a thief might be interested in stealing.”

The police captain tucks the card back into the envelope that it came in and passes it off to Doyoung. “I doubt that you would be able to find much, but run it over for prints or traces of anything useful.”

“Got it, Captain.” replies Doyoung easily, taking the card and whisking it away.

“What should I do, hyung?” asks Mark, dutifully walking up to his boss.

“Mark, I want you to go down to the museum and scope the place out. Call me and lemme know what you find.” Johnny pats Mark on the back and strides over to the door, on his way out he adds gravely "If what the card says is correct then our thief is striking tonight so we don’t have much time.”

“You can count on me, hyung.” promises Mark with a determined expression.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


This is the first time that Mark has been tasked with an active role on the Card Thief case and he is excited, eager to work on something as big as this.

Reaching the museum, Mark double-checks the address on his phone before stepping inside.

It is relatively early in the day so there are not that many visitors apart from school children on field trips and the odd tourist.

Walking around, Mark sees that there are many dark sections and awkwardly designed areas of the building that can be used to hide from cameras to avoid notice. Noting that they will have to setup multiple night vision cameras and motion detectors, as he wanders around the museum Mark realises that although the thief would be difficult to spot inside of the building, the entire place seems to only have two main exits - the front entrance and a back staff entrance for deliveries.

The windows are all located in high places and are bolted shut, unable to be used for escape without breaking the glass and attracting attention. Additionally, the fire escapes are all rigged up to the museum’s security system and will trigger the alarm if they are opened at any point.

Taking out his phone, Mark is about to call back and report his findings to Johnny when he overhears two people having a hushed conversation nearby. From where he is standing, Mark is completely hidden behind a shelf of odd statues and therefore he knows that the pair must not be aware of his presence yet.

“Hyung, aren’t you being like, really bold warning them in advance?” comes a deep voice belonging to a male.

Mark cannot see the person, but although he is speaking Korean, the man’s pronunciation sounds slightly foreign.

The other unknown party replies “Relax, Lucas. It’ll be fine. Hyung is smarter then that, trust me.”

This time the older man, since he had been referred to as _hyung_ , has a higher-pitched voice and also speaks with a foreign accent but it sounds like a different one from the first man who had spoken, the one named Lucas, Mark deduces.

Before Mark can make any more conclusions, the pair switch from Korean to a language that Mark does not understand but sounds rather soft and lilting. Mark suspects that they may be speaking in Thai.

Deciding not to further waste precious time listening in on civilians’ conversations, Mark decides to step out from behind the shelves and go someplace quieter to call Johnny when the older man, the one with the higher-pitched voice, unexpectedly says a phrase in English.

“It’ll be like a closed-room crime, you know.”

Confidently, Mark strides out from behind the shelves and approaches the pair, catching them unaware.

“Hi. Can I ask what you were talking about?”

He makes sure to keep his voice level when he questions them but Mark cannot help but feel a bit nervous. He is not used to interrogating suspects on his own, usually he will have Jaehyun or Doyoung with him for these things. Standing up straighter, he hopes that he looks somewhat intimidating in his uniform and not like a kid wearing a Halloween costume.

Startled, the two men spin around to face Mark, giving him the chance to link their voices to faces.

One of the men is shorter than Mark, with a slender build and cropped hair that has been dyed a pretty shade of silvery ash-grey. From the way that he holds himself, Mark can tell that the man is favouring one of his legs over the other, possibly due to some kind of injury. 

Turning his attention away from the first man, Mark finds that the other is very tall, and when Mark peers up to look at his face, he is shocked by how startlingly handsome the man is.

 _He almost looks like a model_ , Mark cannot help but think.

“Oh, hello officer. I was just talking about a book that I was reading.” says the shorter male, simpering at Mark with a wide smile as he turns to face Mark properly. Chuckling, he steps closer into Mark’s personal space and starts patting Mark’s shoulders. “Don’t you look cute in your little uniform.”

Mildly unsettled, Mark steps back and lightly brushes the man’s hands off of him, with an awkward but polite smile. Shaking his head, Mark tries to get a bit more information out of the odd pair.

“Um, can I ask why you are visiting the museum today?”

“We’re not from around here so we’re just taking in some of the Korean culture.” says the first man, smiling genially and brushing past Mark to peer at a display of a jade vase.

Before Mark can question him further, the other taller man approaches him. He is standing so close that Mark finds that he has to crane his neck up slightly to look at him properly.

Up close, Mark idly notes that the tall man has large doe-like eyes and a nice set of lips, and overall rather boyish features on his face.

“Sorry, we were just having a look around.” says the boy, sounding apologetic even through his stilted Korean. He offers a wide smile as he gazes down at Mark. “We’ll get out of your way now, officer.”

The way that he delivers the comment is so unexpectedly charming that it makes Mark’s breath catch in his throat for a second. Paired with a grin that softens the boy’s entire face, Mark finds himself nodding dumbly in response.

As he stands alone in a room full of historical artefacts, it is only after both of the men had quietly slipped away does Mark realise that he had not actually managed to acquire any information from them.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


It is 8pm at night and Mark is back at the museum, Johnny and the rest of the team busy checking and double-checking the cameras and traps surrounding the perimeter of the building.

“The note the thief left us said that he’d be here at 8:30pm, so we still have a while to wait.” mentions the police captain, looking thoughtfully at his watch.

Humming in agreement, Mark observes that Jaehyun and Sicheng are busy guarding the main entrance and exit of the museum whilst Doyoung checks the camera feeds through a complicated setup of display screens.

Turning to address Mark, Johnny instructs “The rest of the team will handle things on the inside and there are some other guys that we have stationed outside in cars keeping a lookout as well. What I’m gonna need you to do is run patrol on the outside perimeter, Mark. Think you can manage that?”

“No problem, hyung.” replies Mark dutifully, checking that he has his taser and flashlight with him.

Stepping outside, a cold blast of wind hits Mark in the face as he leaves the warm comfort of the museum building. A shiver makes its way up Mark’s spine as he remembers that he will have to stay out here for at least half an hour to catch anything that happens.

Bouncing lightly on the spot to warm up his frozen legs, Mark begins making his way around the block.

It is fortunate that he had visited the site earlier in the day because under the cover of darkness, it is difficult to make out where the pedestrian pathways end and the grass begins, even with the streetlamps casting the garden in a soft, golden glow.

Patrolling is considered as a mundane job but Mark finds that it is relaxing and rather calming to wander around and take in his surroundings. Since Johnny knows this about him, the police captain often delegates the patrol work to Mark every now and then, provided that they do not need to utilise his skills elsewhere.

Most of the time, nothing too dramatic happens during his patrols and Mark can walk around freely, allowing himself to unwind for a little while and forget about the stresses of his day. Despite this, Mark always makes sure to keep his mind focused on his task and if he spots anything suspicious, his body is ready to spring into action.

Vigilantly, Mark paces around the outside of the building for an uneventful twenty minutes before there is a buzzing on his headset as Doyoung radios in, informing Mark that so far nothing of note has happened inside but that the audio monitor is picking up some strange sounds coming from near the west wing of the building, and that Mark should go and check them out.

Heading over to investigate, Mark idly remembers that the room he had visited earlier in the day, with all the shelves of statues and artefacts, had been located on the western side of the building.

Standing in front of the museum’s western wall, Mark shines his flashlight around the area, illuminating the various types of shrubbery and brick walls as he strains his ears to listen for any odd noises. When he concentrates, Mark determines that there is a faint tapping sound coming from a large bush that is growing close to the wall.

Bending closer, he identifies that the noise is more like a ticking sound and aims his torch into the plant, trying to peer past the branches. Apparently this is a bad decision because the combination of the movement and light startles a small family of squirrels into darting out of the bush, weaving past Mark and dashing out into the blackness of the night.

Considering that even cute domestic animals such as dogs and cats instil a slight amount of panic and sizeable amount of fear within Mark, it is no surprise that an unexpected encounter with wild squirrels at night shocks Mark into whirlwind of flailing limbs, backing away with his eyes closed.

The back of his heel catches on a raised ledge that separates the museum’s garden from the sidewalk and upsets Mark’s balance, sending him spiralling backwards to the ground. As he falls, Mark thinks that it is going to be very embarrassing for him if Doyoung has to come out and find him sprawled out unconscious because of some harmless squirrels.

Bracing himself for a harsh landing, Mark is surprised to find the momentum of his body stopping and suddenly being pulled upwards in the opposite direction. As he opens his eyes, Mark sees a pair of large hands gripping either side of his body before he looks up and sees a familiar face.

“Correct me if I’m wrong but aren’t police officers supposed to be the one saving civilians, not the other way around?” chuckles a deep voice accompanied by a charming smile.

The voice belongs to one of the boys that Mark had bumped into at the museum in the morning, the taller one -  _named Lucas_ , supplies Mark’s mind - and he is dressed in a casual outfit this time, a simple oversized navy hoodie and his blondish hair is lying flat on his head, fringe soft and devoid of product.

“Um, thank you.” mumbles Mark, supporting himself as Lucas lets his hands drop down from Mark’s body. He adds, sheepishly “You didn’t have to do that."

“And let you fall and hurt yourself? Nah, no way.” replies the boy, eyes roaming over Mark’s frame as though checking for any other injuries.

Flustered over the attention, Mark waves his hands in the air desperately.

“Oh no, it’s okay really! I’m fine. Thank you, though!” chirps Mark, stepping backwards to maintain a bit of distance between themselves.  As he racks his brain for something else to say to draw some attention away from himself, Mark settles on asking “We met this morning right? What are you doing out here at night again?"

“Ah, you’re right. I remember that cute face.” says Lucas nonchalantly, as though his words are not causing Mark’s ears to heat up as a blush settles on his face. Luckily, the moon does not provide enough light for it to be visible to the other boy, at least Mark hopes not.

The tall foreigner bends down and picks up a plastic bag that Mark had not noticed in the commotion, lying innocently on the side of the pavement.

“I’m staying with my friend at the moment and he lives nearby.” explains Lucas, gesturing vaguely over his shoulder with his free hand. He lifts up the bag for Mark to look inside, showing him some sweet rice cakes and a few bottles of green tea. “Ten-hyung wanted me to buy some snacks so I came out to get them.”

“Ten? Was that the other man that was with you earlier?” asks Mark curiously.

“Oh! I probably shouldn’t have told you that but I’m sure it’s fine.” says Lucas, smiling widely and not looking all that bothered. “Yes, his name is Ten, you know, like the number? Ah, I probably shouldn’t have told you that either. Ehh, it’s whatever.” he adds on with a shrug.

The other boy talks very loud and very fast that it makes Mark instinctually nod his head and smile politely as he has trouble keeping up with everything being said.

Suddenly, the taller shouts out and sticks his empty hand out towards Mark. “Anyways, I’m Lucas! Nice to meet you!”

Giggling in confused surprise, Mark shakes his hand and responds, more reservedly. “My name is Mark. Nice to meet you too.”

As they shake hands, Mark notes that Lucas’ hand is nearly twice the size of his own, unsurprising since the boy’s entire body is so large, dwarfing Mark’s own smaller fingers and enveloping it in a pleasant warmth.

After parting hands, Mark says apologetically "Hey, sorry to cut this short but I kinda need to get back to my job so um, see you around I guess?” Mark offers Lucas a wave before turning to head back to the museum.

“Ah, wait!” shouts Lucas, his voice ringing loudly in the peacefully empty street, as he digs around inside his plastic bag. “Just a second. Aha! Found it!”

At that moment the earpiece that Mark is wearing starts pinging rapidly, signalling that Mark is needed urgently back inside.

“Sorry, I really gotta-“ starts Mark trying to leave but he is abruptly cut off by Lucas pushing a carton of banana milk into his hands.

“Here you go!” The taller boy smiles down at Mark, looking satisfied with himself as he watches Mark rush off. "I’ll stop bothering you now. See you around, shortie!”

Feeling thoroughly thrown off-balance, Mark has enough presence of mind to shout back a retort as he runs.

“I’m not short, you’re just really tall!”

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Back inside, the rest of the team are standing gathered around the broken pieces of a shattered vase on the floor when Mark hurriedly rushes up to them.

“There you are, what took you so long?” says Johnny, giving Mark a cursory glance over to check that he is unharmed.

“We were wondering if something came up.” comments Doyoung from where he is squatting on the floor, taking a photo of the vase’s remnants. He asks "Did you find anything outside?"

“No, it was just some squirrels outside causing the noise.” replies Mark, omitting the part where the little animals nearly made him trip and fall.

“I see, then- Wait, what’s that in your hands? Where did you get that from?” asks Doyoung, his keen eye for detail showing through even though he is paying most of his attention to the evidence on the floor. He puts on a pair of gloves and starts sifting through the broken shards.

Mark fiddles with the carton of banana milk, only now remembering that he is still carrying it in his hands.

“Oh, is that for me? Thank you, Mark.” says Jaehyun, reaching over to take it out of Mark’s hands.

“Let him have it.” Sicheng tells Jaehyun, passing the carton back to the younger boy and patting Mark on the shoulder gently.

Smiling gratefully at the Chinese officer, Mark is saved from having to provide an explanation by Doyoung yelping and raising hand into the air.

“What is it? Did you find something?” asks Johnny, urgently following Doyoung’s hand with his eyes.

Beaming triumphantly, Doyoung answers “Look! There was another playing card lying amongst all the broken pieces. It must have been hidden inside this decoy when the explosion went off.”

 _Wait, explosion?_

Doyoung unfurls his hand and allows the rest of the team to see the card; once again, the card face reveals a classic Joker design.

“It’s the same type as the one we received earlier.” sighs Jaehyun, staring at the card morosely. “So that means that this must have been done by the same thief."

“What happened?” asks Mark, face scrunched up in puzzlement.

“While you were investigating outside, there was a small explosion around 8:35pm. That’s just a little bit past the designated time that the thief mentioned in his card this morning.” Jaehyun tells Mark, crossing his arms and sighing. “The explosion appeared to have come from inside the building and it caused this jade vase to shatter, revealing another one of those playing cards inside.”

“We suspect that it was intentionally triggered by the thief remotely and that this whole thing was a set-up to make the police department look bad.” elaborates Doyoung, standing up and brushing the dirt off his uniform. "When I inspected the broken pieces, I realised that this vase is actually a replica of the real jade vase that the thief must have switched out for this fake one at some point without our knowledge!”

Shaking his head, the Johnny mutters “That means that our thief must have visited the museum earlier to set everything up before letting us know what he was planning on doing, inviting us to arrive just in time for the show. Even if we rewind the camera footage, we won’t be able to find anything useful.” Johnny pauses before adding on with a wry smile, “What a sly fox. I’m almost impressed.”

Humming thoughtfully, Doyoung says “Actually, the only one of us that might have seen something is Mark when he visited this place in the morning.”

“Are you sure that you didn’t see anything suspicious earlier?” asks Johnny as he turns to look at Mark expectantly.

The image of the two strange foreigners he had met at the museum flashes through Mark’s mind; he remembers their names and faces,  _Lucas and Ten_ , and Mark contemplates the possibility of one of them being the criminal mastermind behind the series of robberies plaguing the police department.

 _Were they acting suspicious?_

Mark tries to recall if they had said or done anything that would warrant the attention of the police. They were acting somewhat strange but Mark does not think that it was a bad kind of strange. Plus, after his recent encounter with Lucas, Mark is starting to think that their personalities are just like that to begin with.

The fact that the pair were hovering around the antiques section on this particular morning is a little odd however they were not the only tourists that Mark had witnessed at the museum today. There is too much uncertainty to factor into the situation and a lot of the suspicious behaviour is circumstantial at best.

Fidgeting with the milk carton in his hands, Mark answers slowly “No, there were only a bunch of regular visitors. A couple of tourists and some school children. I didn’t pick up on anyone that could be the Card Thief.”

Accepting his answer, Johnny turns back to engage in a discussion with Doyoung. “Hmm, do you think that perhaps it could be an inside job? One of the museum staff could have helped the thief switch out the vase secretly.”

Tuning out the conversation, Mark wonders if he made the right decision to withhold that sensitive piece of information.

“Aren’t you gonna drink that?” asks Jaehyun as he points to the carton of banana milk, breaking Mark out of his moral dilemma.

“You can have it.” says Mark, passing the drink over to the older man. “I think I’m gonna go walk around the building again.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Back in his apartment, although Mark’s whole body feels tired from walking around most of the day, as he lies in his bed Mark cannot help but to toss and turn, unable to chase sleep.

Physically, he is lying still but his mind continues to race with countless thoughts.

A small part of Mark continues to meticulously wonder whether or not he made the right choice by keeping his encounter with Lucas and Ten a secret.

A larger, more insistent part of his brain chooses to remind Mark about just how attractive Lucas had looked up close when he had caught Mark in his arms and how his hands had easily dwarfed both of Mark’s own when the other boy had taken them in his.

Struggling to take control of his errant thoughts, Mark begins to grow frustrated at himself for how he cannot shake the memory of the taller boy’s handsome smile and how charming his voice sounded when spoken directly into Mark’s ear.

Eventually, Mark manages to fall asleep with the nagging feeling that he is forgetting something important.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Work continues as usual despite the team’s failure to catch the Card Thief.

Gulping down a vitamin drink, Mark finally decides to tackle the ever-growing stack of paperwork that has been residing on the corner of his desk since the beginning of the week. Being the newest officer on the team, Mark also handles some of the extra incidents that require filing such as minor accidents and complaints that are fairly simple besides his own case files. 

Additionally, Mark has also volunteered to help Jungwoo and Sicheng with some of their reports today (and by volunteered, Mark means that he was ‘suckered into saying yes' by a pair of deceptively docile faces) so he is staying in the station later than usual.

Fighting to keep his eyes from closing, Mark finishes typing up the final case file before powering down his computer and packing up his things. 

As he stands up, Mark checks the time as he yawns and sees that it is closer to midnight than he would like.

On his way out of the station, Mark checks the captain’s office and sees that Johnny is still there, talking to someone on the phone.

Johnny chuckles into the receiver. “Yeah, I know. Don’t worry so much, we’ll catch him eventually. If you keep worrying like this all the time, all of your hair is gonna go white before you hit thirty.”

He looks up when he notices Mark hovering by the doorway and smiles at the younger boy, covering the phone and mouthing ‘Senior Inspector Lee’ with an eyeroll at Mark.

Giggling quietly, Mark smiles back at Johnny and waves him goodnight before exiting the building.

It is too late in the evening to eat outside and the only thing Mark wants to do right now is go home and sleep. However Mark also knows that he has been neglecting doing his grocery shopping for too long and his pantry is barren of bread or even instant ramyeon now.

Changing directions, Mark decides to make a quick pit-stop at a nearby convenience store to pick up a couple of necessities before heading home. As he glances at the time on his phone, Mark figures he should be able to make it there and back without missing his bus but breaks out into a light jog anyway.

The mini-mart is deserted when Mark arrives, save for the bored teenager manning the front counter. Running mostly on auto-pilot, Mark efficiently navigates the aisles, filling a small basket with bread, milk, eggs and cereal. A couple of minutes later and a packet of kimchi, some instant ramyeon, and two packs of instant rice are haphazardly tossed in to join the rest of his items.

Mark is looking for the last item on his mental checklist, toothpaste, when he rounds the corner and spies another late-night customer standing before the beverages, holding the fridge door open.

“Excuse me.” whispers Mark politely, as he tries to make his way past the larger figure.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” apologises the other, moving to make room for him to squeeze by.

As he turns around, his face lights up in recognition.

“Ah! It’s you! Mark, right?”

Reluctantly, Mark looks up and sees the face that has been plaguing his thoughts all week.

“Hi, Lucas.” he greets, bowing shyly.

“Hello shortie!” says Lucas gleefully, retrieving his drinks quickly and continuing before Mark can interrupt to correct him for calling Mark short again. “Did you like the drink I gave you last time?”

“Yeah, it was good. Thanks.” lies Mark, shifting his basket to his other hand. “Listen, it was nice seeing you again and all, but I have to catch my bus before it leaves.”

Lucas looks like he wants to say more but he acquiesces, offering Mark a soft smile. “That’s okay. Another time then."

Awkwardly, Mark smiles in response and bows again, speeding off towards the counter and grabbing a tube of toothpaste along the way.

The boy behind the counter, _‘Jisung’_ his name tag reads, lackadaisically rings up Mark’s items and gives him his change, wishing him a good night in a deadpan voice. Mark returns the greeting with a bit more sincerity before sprinting outside just in time to see his bus on the opposite side of the street and turning the corner towards the freeway as it drives along its route.

"Missed it.” sighs out Mark, crouching down to the floor and ruffling his hair in frustration.

His apartment is not so far away that Mark cannot feasibly walk back, however it is late at night, and all Mark wants to do is lie down and sleep.

The door behind Mark chimes as Lucas walks out after him.

“Did you miss your bus?” he says softly.

“Yeah.” squeaks out Mark from behind his fingers, as he buries his face in his hands. “I’m tired and hungry and I just want to sleep.”

Squatting down to be at eye level with Mark, Lucas asks “When does the next one come?”

“In like twenty minutes.” replies Mark despondently.

Mark’s view of the dirty concrete swiftly changes as Lucas takes his hands and pulls him up.

“There’s a street store around the corner that sells good  _ddeokbokki_.” suggests Lucas. Bending down, he picks up both his own plastic bag of drinks and Mark’s bag. “C'mon, I’ll treat you.”

“No. No, that’s okay! You don’t have to do that.” says Mark, waving his hands in front of his face. “I can just walk, it’s alright.”

“Nah, I feel bad since it’s my fault you missed it.” says Lucas, already walking off with Mark’s groceries that he has no choice other than to quickly chase after the other and catch up with Lucas’ broad strides.

Shaking his head, Mark argues “It’s not your fault, I should have been paying better attention.”

“Let’s agree to disagree then.” replies Lucas easily, smiling cheerfully. “But I’m still going to buy you ddeokbokki and you can repay me by keeping me company while we wait for your next bus."

  
  
  
  
  
  


During the twenty minutes spent sitting on the plastic chairs outside of the convenience store and eating together, Mark discovers that Lucas is the same age as him, has a vibrant and funny personality, and has a way of speaking that draws people in even if his Korean is still a bit awkward.

He finds out that Lucas is originally from Hong Kong and that he had moved to South Korea to attend university, which is why he can speak multiple languages, including English.

“Yeah, it’s like the more languages you know, the harder it is to keep track of everything.” says Lucas, gesturing a hand in the air. He continues in English,  _“You feel me?”_

 _“Yeah, I feel you, man.”_  replies Mark, scrunching up his nose as he giggles. “Sometimes I feel like I have to flick a mental switch when I change languages.”

“Exactly.” says Lucas, bobbing his head up and down in agreement.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Unconsciously, Mark finds himself relaxing in Lucas’ presence, laughing and forgetting how tired and drained he was before. After their language conversation, Lucas launches into an explanation about why he is studying vet science; it is because he loves animals and it had seemed like a stable career choice at the time.

“They’re so cute, you know?” says Lucas, hands roaming around in the air as he talks. His face looks good, lit up with passion, as he elaborates “It’s also nice to know that I’m doing something that’s useful, and like, I could maybe make a difference to the world? That’s kinda far-fetched, though.” Lucas tacks on at the end, shrugging his shoulders quickly.

Pausing, Mark puts down his chopsticks and gives the other boy his undivided attention.

“I think you’re really amazing, Mark.” compliments Lucas, smiling at him from across the small table. The two of them are sitting cramped together, close enough that Mark can feel Lucas’ long limbs brushing up against his knees and thighs occasionally. “You’re so fluent in both English and Korean, and you are already a police officer. That’s really cool!”

Face flushing at the praise, Mark shakes his head modestly. “No, I’m not that special. I think that if you put in enough hard work, it’ll all work out in the end. There are no shortcuts. I’m sure that you’ll become a great vet too one day.” says Mark earnestly.

Lucas tilts his head contemplatively. He does not voice his agreement but smiles at Mark and thanks him. “I’m glad you think so.”

Once Mark makes it back home, as he climbs into bed he realises that Lucas had smoothly conned him into letting Lucas pay for his food and keep Mark company, making it seem like Mark was doing Lucas a favour by waiting with him.

Traitorously, his heart skips a beat when he thinks about the other boy, a smile unconsciously spreading across Mark’s face.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


A month passes and Mark forgets about the tiny budding crush that he has on Lucas, throwing his energy into his work instead.

The Card Thief continues to run circles around the police force, striking two more times and stealing valuables from high-profile politicians, mysteriously leaving a Joker card at each crime scene.

Admittedly, Captain Seo seems to be less disgruntled about this than Mark had expected; shrugging it off rather lightly and saying that he never particularly liked them that much anyway.

“Both of them have pretty terrible political standpoints.” sighs Johnny, half-heartedly flipping through a stack of reports. “One of them is pushing for harsher regulations against foreigners and the other has always been aggressively against LGBT issues.”

Nodding along, Mark asks unsurely “But we still have to try and catch the thief right?”

“Of course. But I can’t say that either of them didn’t deserve it.” says Johnny blithely, abandoning the files and turning to his computer.

They still do not have any tangible leads or suspects for the case, only blurry camera footage from almost a year ago of a slender man of small stature, dressed in black from head to toe during one of the first robberies. Since then, there have only been a handful of eye-witness accounts that match the description of the thief.

Because the Card Thief has been careful enough to evade both the police and the people whom he steals from, the police cannot conclude whether or not the thief is a aggressively dangerous criminal or not. Regardless, they cannot allow him to avoid capture again and again even if he is not actually harming anyone and he is consuming too much of the department’s manpower, time and resources.

“Hopefully he will slip up somewhere next time and we’ll be able to get him.” says Mark optimistically, watching the police captain as he works.

Barking out a laugh, Johnny replies “I wish, rookie.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Johnny’s wish does end up coming true.

Sort of.

The week after their conversation, the police station receives a call from an art gallery reporting a famous statue that had mysteriously gone missing overnight. The statue had been housed inside a glass cabinet in the centre of the display room, with motion sensors and alarms in the main area.

When the art curator had been the first to arrive as usual in the morning, the statue was nowhere to be found and there was a playing card lying face down in its place. Immediately, he had called the police and left everything untouched as he had found it in case there were any clues that the police could use.

Unsurprisingly, even with an analyst like Kim Doyoung working on the team, the police are not able to find any fingerprints or clues as to how the crime was committed. 

However, there is something very different about this specific incident that sets it apart from all the other robberies.

After carefully scrubbing through all of the available footage captured by the gallery’s camera system, Sicheng has managed to pick up on an unexpected anomaly during his review.

“I’m done.” states the Chinese officer proudly, spinning around to face the door as the team walk into his office.

“Did you manage to find anything?” Johnny asks the cursory question even though he knows that Sicheng would not been able to find anything; the thief is always far too clean.

“Actually, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” replies the officer with a smirk, tilting his computer display towards the others and pulling up a window of a video clip. “Take a look at this.”

Enlarging the video and pressing play, the screen shows the gallery devoid of life but in the last five seconds of the video, the camera shows a flash of movement in the corner, partially hidden by the staircase.

“Wait! You mean we actually caught him this time?” says Mark in awe.

As they squint at the monitor, the fleeting glimpse of the blurry figure is enough to pinpoint that the figure is a large male, tall and with broad shoulders, wearing an entirely black ensemble.

“This doesn’t look like our man.” comments Johnny thoughtfully. “In all times that we have managed to get a visual of the thief, rare as they may be, his appearance has always been slight and with a slender body type.”

“You’re right.” agrees Doyoung, tapping his chin as he reaches over to pause the video.

“This is the only angle that I managed to catch him on.” says Sicheng, clicking his tongue in annoyance. “He managed to elude all the other cameras."

Staring at the image on the screen, Doyoung frowns in concentration before piping up “I think that we are dealing with a different guy here, actually. Someone with a bigger frame and who is good, but not quite up to scratch with our usual card thief.”

“We might be dealing with a copycat thief, you mean.” clarifies Jaehyun.

“I think you might be onto something with this line of thought.” agrees Johnny, looking up at the ceiling as he thinks. “This guy is a bit sloppier than we’re used to and in addition that might be a good reasoning as to why he left a Joker card instead of a number 10."

Gasping, Doyoung suddenly bolts upright and rushes out of the room in flurry.

Watching the senior officer leave in confusion, Mark questions “So you think he’s pretending to be the first one?” 

Turning to face Mark, Jaehyun elaborates “No I don’t think that’s right either. He left a different calling card. This might mean that he is trying to follow the original Card Thief or that both of them are working together to confuse us, perhaps.”

Loud footsteps can be heard from the corridor outside momentarily before Doyoung strides back into the room, carrying a thin folder in his hands.

“I knew it! I suspected we might have been dealing with a different guy!” chimes Doyoung excitedly, pulling out some pictures from the folder he brought with him.

He lays out four enlarged camera photos on the table, spreading them out for everyone to see. 

“These three are from last year,” explains Doyoung, pointing a set of close-ups taken of number 10 cards, “and this one is a shot of the Joker card that we received during the museum case last month.”

All of the cards in the pictures have little clues written on them using black marker pen in the corner, detailing a time or a place for the police to follow.

“If you look closely, you’ll see that the other times that our Card Thief sent us warnings in advance, his handwriting looks just a little bit different from the one used on the Joker card here.” continues Doyoung, tapping his finger enthusiastically on the photos. “When I analysed a sample, it does look like it was written with the same type of marker as the originals, but although similar, I would say that the note was written by a different person."

A contemplative silence settles over the room as the group takes in this vital new information.

Finally Johnny breaks the quiet, clearing his throat before speaking out loud. 

“Very good work, Doyoung. In that case, it may be in our best interests to treat them as separate cases even if there are similarities between them.” 

He holds up the latest card left by the Joker Thief up to the light and stares at it intensely, voicing his thoughts aloud. “This Joker Thief seems newer and more inexperienced. I think that we may be able to catch him soon if we ‘play our cards right’, so to speak.” 

Chuckling at his own joke, Johnny waits for the others to appreciate his wordplay but only receives an eyeroll from Doyoung and a groan from Sicheng. Looking towards Mark, the younger boy offers him a polite laugh.

Patting his shoulder approvingly, the police captain says “I knew I could count on you, rookie."

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


It is Friday night, which means that Mark is doing his weekly paperwork load that he has left to the end of the week like usual. Luckily, the pile is on the smaller side this week as there have been fewer incidences overall, with neither of the card thieves causing trouble for the department, and Mark expects that he will be able to leave work at a reasonable time for once.

Most people his age look forward to Friday nights because they are free to go out and party or unwind but Mark is mostly enthusiastic about being able to catch up on some much needed rest. As his best friend since childhood, Donghyuck,has often mentioned that he does not understand how Mark can work a sixty-hour week and still volunteer to be on a rotational shift on the weekends as well.

Shrugging, Mark had responded that he is passionate about his job and that there is nothing wrong with being driven and self-motivated. Scoffing, Donghyuck had told Mark that he was ‘no-fun and a workaholic but you’re lucky that I love you anyway’ before dragging Mark out of his apartment to go and get bubble tea at an ungodly hour.

Tonight, Mark manages to clock out of the police station at 9pm. 

Rather than going home and getting some shut-eye straight away, he decides to take a detour to pick up some take-away from a quaint little Chinese restaurant that he had seen in passing during his patrol on Tuesday.

  
  
  
  
  
  


The bell overhead chimes sweetly as Mark opens the door and he is hit by a wave of sweet and spicy aromas that waft towards his nose as he steps inside. 

A cute boy with brightly-coloured hair and a round face greets him from behind the counter.

“Hello! Are you here for dine-in or take-away?” asks the waiter with a friendly smile. His voice sounds high-pitched and bubbly even though it is late in the evening.

When Mark answers, the boy hands him a delivery menu and takes Mark’s order once he decides on getting the  _mapo tofu_.

“No problem! You can take a seat here while you wait.” The waiter tells Mark, pointing at some empty chairs near the entrance before whisking himself away to the back of the restaurant.

Curiously, Mark looks around the place while he waits for his food. 

The shop itself is small but the owner has managed to fit in a decent amount of tables without making it seem cramped or overcrowded, giving the restaurant an overall cozy feeling. Most of the earlier dinner crowd must have finished eating and left already because there are only a few tables occupied now; there are several businessmen eating alone after work and a couple talking quietly in a corner.

The peaceful atmosphere is broken by a shriek of laughter coming from inside the restaurant that causes Mark to startle and drop his phone on the floor. Standing up to retrieve it, Mark watches as the small waiter from earlier comes skipping out of the kitchen towards one of the tables near the back.

“Oh my god, guess what! Kun-hyung nearly set the kitchen on fire but luckily he was able to put it out before it could spread!” Mark overhears the kid say to another boy sitting at the table in between his peals of dolphin-like laughter.

A different voice replies in Korean, “Ohh, no way! What did he do?” before the two switch to speaking in rapid-fire Chinese that Mark cannot keep up with.

The back of the boy that is sitting down looks familiar.

 _Plus that voice…_

Unconsciously drawn like a moth to a flame, Mark’s feet start walking towards the back table of their own accord.

“Lucas?” tries Mark as he approaches the pair, not fully sure if he is correct in his guess.

Both of them look up at his arrival.

“You two know each other?” says the waiter in surprise, flicking his eyes between them.

“Mark! Long time no see!” greets Lucas, raising a hand to pull Mark into an awkward half-hug, half-handshake that makes Mark flounder for a bit as he tries to match Lucas. With a wide and genuine-looking smile, Lucas adds on "I missed you.”

“I’ll let you two catch up then.” comments the waiter cheerfully, scampering off towards the kitchen again.

“Wait! No, that’s okay you don’t have to-“

Mark tries to argue that he does not want them to have to interrupt their conversation for him but the younger boy waves him off, patting Mark’s shoulder and telling him that he does not mind.

As the waiter rushes off, Lucas shouts at him from across the room. “Make sure to tease Kun for me, Chenle!”

Turning to address Mark, he gestures at the empty seat across the table from him. “Sit down and eat with me?” asks Lucas looking up at Mark with a hopeful expression. Mark gets the feeling that if he refuses the other boy will end up looking like a kicked puppy.

Pulling out the unused chair and taking a seat, Mark asks innocently “Do you come here often?”

Lucas pauses with a bite of noodles raised halfway towards his mouth and sends Mark a surprised look.

Flustered, Mark hurriedly backpedals after realising what he just said. “Ah! That sounds like a pick-up line doesn’t it? I didn’t mean it like that! Not that you don’t- I mean, I wouldn’t but like-“ His hands and mouth work faster than his brain can keep up as Mark gestures wildly and talks himself in circles.

Giving up, Mark buries his face into his arms and says, resignedly. "Ahh, forget I said anything.”

Mark hears quiet chuckling and uncovers his face to find Lucas smiling at him with a soft and oddly affectionate gaze.

“It’s okay. Don’t be embarrassed.” says Lucas gently, reaching across to pull Mark’s arms down fully. Giggling, the other boy places his own larger hands over Mark’s and confides “I’m always saying weird things all the time anyway. It’s cute when you do it.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Mark denies it. “Not really, but thank you for saying that.” 

He moves to retrieve his hands but Lucas does not let them go just yet.

Inwardly flustered, Mark’s mind is too busy racing trying to figure out how to naturally remove his hands and control his traitorous ears from blushing that he does not fully appreciate the moment of skinship.

Chenle chooses this opportune moment to return to the table with Mark’s food, saving him from having to come up with a solution.

“Oh! What’s this?” says the boy, staring pointedly at their joint hands with a surprisingly foxy smirk and expression.

Embarrassed at being caught in the somewhat compromising position, both of them quickly pull back. A fresh, hot plate of mapo tofu with rice is placed in front of Mark, emitting puffs of white steam, and it both looks and smells delicious.

“I took the liberty of changing your order to dining-in since I thought that you might want to eat together with your friend?” Chenle explains helpfully, passing him a set of cutlery as Mark smiles at him gratefully.

“Or perhaps I should say boyfriend?” teases Chenle with a great amount of amusement visible on his deceptively cherubic face. 

Startled, Mark drops his chopsticks on the table.

Pleased with his own antics, the boy rushes off again before Mark can correct him. “See you around Mark!”

“Hey, get back here!” says Lucas, smiling good-naturedly as he pretends to threaten the younger boy.

“You two seem close.” comments Mark as he watches them playing around. “That’s actually why I asked if you came here a lot earlier.”

His dinner companion pauses to send Chenle a couple of finger guns before replying. 

“Oh yeah, I’m friends with a lot of the staff that work here so I hang out here often.” Picking up his own chopsticks again, Lucas swirls them around his half-finished bowl of noodles. “Also, I get free food so that’s a bonus!”

Digging into his own plate, Mark finds that its taste lives up to its appearance and he cannot suppress an appreciative moan. “Oh my god, this is so good.”

Watching fondly, Lucas chuckles and pushes his own bowl towards Mark, picking up an untouched dumpling out of the soup.

“Do you want to try some of mine? The  _sui gao_  here is really good! They make it fresh everyday.” he asks, holding his chopsticks up for Mark to try.

Leaning in, Mark clasps his fingers around Lucas’ wrist to keep his hand stable as he takes a bite. As he chews, Mark finds his eyes drawn to a thin silver bracelet bearing a red lion charm, hanging around Lucas’ wrist.

“What do you think?” inquires Lucas, watching Mark’s reaction expectantly.

Nodding his approval, Mark says “It’s good.”

“Yeah? You like it?”

Mark looks up at Lucas beaming widely at him from across the table and confirms “Yeah, I like it.”

 _I like you._

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


It happens on Wednesday during Mark’s evening patrol with Jaehyun.

There is an incoming alert on the police radio that signifies that the alarm in a jewellery store nearby has been triggered and that any officers on-duty in the area should attend to it as soon as possible. In light of the recent burglaries, more shopowners in the area have taken to installing this particular type of alarm that automatically notifies the police when motion is detected and the shutdown code is not inputted within ninety seconds.

The alert informs them that the location of the store is only five blocks away, and Mark and Jaehyun quickly break out into a sprint towards it. They pass by several straggling pedestrians along the way but when they reach the street of the jewellery store in question, there does not appear to be anyone around.

Occasionally, these alarms are set off by stray animals or drunk teenagers throwing rocks at shop windows for fun however the road is completely lacking of any signs of life.

Taking out a flashlight, Jaehyun approaches the storefront and holds out a hand behind him, signalling for Mark to keep his distance while Jaehyun assesses the situation first.

“Hello? This is the police!” shouts Jaehyun, trying the door handle and entering when he discovers that it has been left open. Stepping into the store, he asks “Is anyone there?”

Jaehyun flicks the torch around the entrance and the main part of the shop before venturing further inside. Upon deeming it safe, he calls Mark over and instructs him to wait here.

“I’m gonna go check the back rooms.” explains Jaehyun, glancing cautiously at their surroundings. “You stay here and let me know if anything happens or if you find something, alright?”

“Okay, hyung.” answers Mark, nodding and shining his own flashlight around the room as Jaehyun disappears down a corridor behind the counter.

The display cabinets all house a wide variety of jewellery pieces ranging from necklaces and earrings to watches and odd knick-knacks, and the diamond pieces catch the light of Mark’s torch and glint prettily as he searches around the room.

Nothing appears to be broken or disrupted, and the glass counters are all intact and appear to be in pristine condition. 

Confused, Mark scrutinises each section of wares to see if anything has been stolen; as he inspects a table of rings, Mark notices that one row appears to be missing from behind the glass.

Mentally taking note of the rings, Mark continues methodically checking each area until he stops in front of a display of pearl bracelets. 

All of the items appear to be in their correct places within the display case but Mark notices that there is one lying on the floor outside by itself.

 _Perhaps the thief had dropped it when he was leaving?_

Bending down to take a closer look, Mark’s heart stutters in his chest.

Mark has definitely seen this bracelet before.

When he had been standing, the bracelet had looked like it was made of a thin string of tiny pearls but up close, it is clear to see that it is made from silver and attached to it is a small red charm.

A lion.

“Mark, are you still there?”

Jaehyun’s voice is muffled since he is still in the back but Mark can hear his footsteps getting louder and he knows that his partner will be here soon.

Making a split-second decision, Mark swoops down and grabs the bracelet, hiding it inside his pocket just in time before Jaehyun emerges from the hallway.

“I couldn’t find anything in the back. Whoever was here must have already fled before we arrived.” explains Jaehyun, joining Mark at the front. “What about you?”

The weight of the bracelet sitting in Mark’s pocket feels impossibly heavier than it should be as Mark shakes his head. 

“No, but I did notice that the counter over there where the rings are displayed is missing a row."

He leads Jaehyun away from the pearls and directs him to the table, pointing at the glass. His partner examines it for a second before squatting and pulling out a thin card from where it has been wedged in between the glass casing and the metal.

It is a playing card.

Mark’s heart sinks at the realisation.

His partner flips the card around and looks unimpressed, commenting “It’s a Joker card. It makes sense that it’s a Joker and not a number 10 card, since I doubt the original Card Thief would let himself get caught like this. He’s too careful.”

 _The Joker Thief is Lucas._

Mark does not respond, too busy having a mental breakdown but Jaehyun does not seem to notice his internal struggle and carries on. 

“I’m going to inform the others. We’ll have to wait and see if Sicheng can uncover anything from the cameras."

Snapping awake, Mark asks urgently “Do you think that the thief was caught on camera?”

He is not quite sure what answer he wants to hear.

Tilting his head, Jaehyun ponders the question before replying. 

“It’s unlikely, honestly, but it’s still worth a shot. Hopefully our thief slipped up somewhere and left us something to go on.”

Patting his pocket, Mark says weakly “Yeah, hopefully."

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Mark cannot fall asleep.

He thinks back to the first time he met Lucas, when he was at the museum with the other boy named Ten.

 _If Lucas is the Joker Thief, then does that mean that Ten is the original Card Thief?_  thinks Mark, tossing over and kicking at his blankets in frustration.

 _Or is it just a coincidence that the boy’s name is Ten and the Card Thief leaves number 10 cards?_

The pieces of the puzzle are all starting coming together now.

Scrunching up his face in irritation, Mark remembers the unusual phrase that he had overheard Ten use back then - _‘closed-room crime’_ \- which had slipped his mind until now and grabs his phone off his bedside table, searching up what it means.

When Mark inputs the phrase into his search engine, the results automatically come up for ‘locked-room mystery’ instead and a quick scan of the page reveals that it is a term used to refer to crimes that are orchestrated in such a way that makes it seem impossible to have been committed by the perpetrator without being caught, making it extremely difficult for the police to catch them.

Sighing, Mark tosses his phone on the bed.

Now that he knows the identities of at least one of the card thieves and has strong suspicions about the other, the next question is what does he do with this information? 

If he tells Johnny, Lucas will be arrested and most likely receive a prison sentence. On the other hand, Mark is supposed to uphold the law and bring justice to wrong-doers; it is the whole point of why he became a police officer in the first place.

 _Lucas does not seem like a bad person though._

Rolling over, Mark flings the blanket over his head and tucks himself into a ball. 

Overwhelmed with thoughts, Mark decides that he is too tired and wound up to think about this anymore and tries to fall asleep again, resolving to deal with the issue in the morning.

 _It would have been easier if we never got to know each other._

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


The next morning, Sicheng tells everyone that the review of the camera footage from the jewellery store did not unearth any new leads and that they are back to square one. 

Feeling guilty, Mark watches as Johnny dismisses the other officer, thanking him before scrubbing a hand over his own face in exasperation.

“I’m sorry that we couldn’t get there in time last night.” says Mark apologetically, wringing his hands nervously in his lap. “I know that you’ve been working really hard to close this case for months."

“It’s alright. Don’t sweat it, rookie.” consoles Johnny. He drops his arms to the desk and sends Mark a comforting smile. “I’m sure you did everything that you could. We’ll get him next time.”

Mark already feels bad about not doing his job properly, and Johnny’s efforts to try and make Mark feel better only serve to make him feel even worse, knowing that he is lying to his boss and he most definitely  _did not_  do ‘everything that he could’.

Throwing himself back into his work, Mark finds it difficult to concentrate for the rest of the day; his mind wandering constantly about what to do.  It feels like he is not getting anything done and is just wasting time, which only adds to the unpleasantly guilty feeling building up within him.

Staring unseeingly at his desktop monitor, Mark feels restless and inefficient and not like himself.

  
  
  
  
  
  


It has been an unproductive day for Mark but at least he can say that he has come to a decision about what to do regarding Lucas.

After work ends, Mark changes out of his uniform and resolutely heads towards his destination. 

People may call him idealistic and overly naive, especially in this line of work, but Mark has always believed in giving others the benefit of the doubt and his gut feeling is telling him that Lucas is not a bad person.

Surely there must be some kind of motive behind Lucas’ actions because in all of his interactions with the other boy, Mark has only felt warmth and kindness radiating from him; a strange and chaotic brand of well-intentioned positivity.

Mark only hopes that his judgement has not been clouded by his ever-growing feelings for Lucas and that he is not blindly projecting his desires on Lucas.

Picking up the pace, Mark settles for confronting Lucas as soon as possible to try to get some answers out of him and hopefully lay his worries to rest.

Mark pushes open the door to the restaurant and makes eye-contact with a boy standing behind the front counter that Mark has never seen before. The unfamiliar boy smiles, revealing a snaggle-tooth that peeks out of the corner of his mouth endearingly, and welcomes Mark genially.

“Hi! Are you eating in or buying take-away?” asks the boy, making his way around the desk to stand next to Mark.

Peering past the shorter boy, Mark cranes his neck to look further into the restaurant at the tables inside. It is earlier in the evening compared to the last time that he was here and there are more diners than last time however he does not see the familiar mop of blondish hair that he has grow accustomed to.

“Ah, have you not been here before?” says the waiter, examining Mark’s face unsurely. “I can help you if you like.”

Apologising hastily, Mark says “No, that’s okay! Sorry, I was just looking for someone.” Mark pauses, biting his lower lip before taking a gamble and asking “Is Chenle here today?”

“Oh! Are you looking for Chenle? He’s not here right now but he should be in later tonight.” answers the boy, face lighting up in recognition. 

Smiling pleasantly, he tells Mark "You’re welcome to wait here for him if you want.”

“Thank you but I don’t want to bother you guys. I just wanted to ask him if he knew where I could find Lucas, that’s all.” explains Mark, scratching the side of his neck sheepishly.

Belatedly, Mark wonders if that makes him sound weird or something because the waiter that he is speaking to adopts an odd expression.

Smirking slightly, the boy remarks slyly “Ohhh, I get it. So you’re the boyfriend that Lele mentioned was here the other time.”

Blushing furiously at the unexpected reversal, Mark stutters out “W-what? Wait! No I’m not- We’re just friends. Maybe.”

He trails off uncertainly.

 _Are they friends?_

Mark isn’t quite sure what to classify his relationship with Lucas as.

Perhaps they are actually more along the lines of being mere acquaintances.

“Sure.” says the waiter, looking unconvinced. Taking pity of Mark, he supplies helpfully “Well, Chenle is with Lucas right now so he will probably follow Chenle over here once his shift starts.”

“Oh, I see.” replies Mark, trying not to look too obviously eager at the mention of Lucas coming over and faking nonchalance. 

He does not think that he succeeded if the other boy’s knowing expression is anything to go by.

“Mark, right?” says the waiter, holding out a hand for him to shake. “I’m Renjun. Come on, lemme give you a serve of our best noodles while you wait.” he offers, turning around and leading Mark to a table.

“Thank you, Renjun. I’m sorry to be a bother.” says Mark softly, following along behind him.

“Don’t be.” says Renjun, smiling and dismissing Mark’s apology with a wave of his hand.

"I’m sure Lucas will be very happy to see you."

  
  
  
  
  
  


The noodles really are as delicious as Renjun had said that they would be, served piping hot in a sweet and sour broth that has just the right amount of spiciness that Mark likes.

He is so preoccupied with enjoying his meal that Mark does not notice Lucas until the other has already approached Mark’s table, giving Mark a shock when he turns his head and finds the other boy crouched by his side, watching him eat unawares.

“Oh! Lucas! When did you arrive?” squeaks out Mark, voice partially muffled by a mouthful of noodles.

The taller boy has somehow managed to shrink his large frame down so that only his head is visible over the edge of the table, making Lucas appear cuter than usual.

“Hi Mark! Were you waiting for me?” asks Lucas excitedly, smiling widely and resting his arms on the table. He places his chin on top of his hands as he looks up expectantly at Mark.

Momentarily, Mark forgets why he came here searching for Lucas in the first place. Mind drawing a blank, Mark stares at the other boy’s devastatingly handsome face and answers honestly.

“Yes.”

That might have come across a little too honest, because a thick tension starts to build in the air between the two of them as the pair maintain eye-contact with one another.

Lucas is the one to break away first, glancing down awkwardly and blinking his eyes. He stands up and pulls out an empty chair opposite Mark, his knees knocking against Mark’s own as he sinks down onto the seat.

Pushing his unfinished bowl aside, Mark sets his chopsticks down and drops his hands into his lap, fingers nervously patting the pocket currently housing the thin silver bracelet.

When Mark raises his head, he sees Lucas smiling sweetly at him, looking happy to simply be in Mark’s company and Mark dreads what he is about to do next; it almost feels like he is kicking a puppy.

“Lucas,” starts Mark hesitantly. 

The other boy must sense his discomfort because he adopts a sombre expression immediately, directing his attention at Mark. 

“Where were you last Wednesday?”

Lucas blinks back innocently, processing the question. 

“I had classes in the morning. A lecture and then a tutorial class.” Lucas answers seriously but he does not appear to be panicked or furtive yet.

“Right.” says Mark slowly, observing Lucas’ face carefully for any tells that the other is lying to him. “But what did you do after that, at night?"

A strained silence envelops the table.

Lucas does not answer the question and Mark suspects that the other boy is trying to maintain a blank expression but it is not working.

As Mark observes Lucas, he discerns that the other is not angry or scared or defensive like one would normally expect after getting caught.

The other boy does not look pleased, but he does not look upset either. Mostly, he just looks sad and quiet and small.

 _He doesn’t look like Lucas._

Drawing in a deep breath, Mark says in a resigned and thin voice. “You know what my job is, right Lucas?”

Lucas looks up plaintively at Mark, slouching tiredly like the weight of the world is bearing down on his shoulders, stifling the positive radiance that he normally exudes.

Finally, Lucas rasps out in a low voice. “How did you know?”

Wordlessly, Mark reaches into his jeans pocket and withdraws the bracelet, placing it on the middle of the table in plain sight.

Lifelessly, Lucas lets out a weak laugh, lacking in humour.

“You dropped it at the store.” says Mark, stating out the obvious.

Both of them stare pointedly at the offending accessory until eventually, Lucas sluggishly reaches a hand over to collect it.

After the item is safely out of sight, Mark confesses “So I. I took it before anyone else noticed.”

Surprised, Lucas looks up at Mark with wide eyes. Like this, his eyes look shockingly round and clear.

 _A set of innocent, Bambi-like eyes_ , Mark thinks.

It makes Mark feel even worse.

“You saved me? Why?”

“I don’t think you are a bad person, Lucas.” says Mark, licking his lips anxiously. “A bad person would not want to become a vet because he hates the idea of animals being sick or in pain. Why are you doing this?"

“You really want to know?” Lucas’ voice sounds unusually gravelly, low and choked-up, and when Mark checks his face, Lucas is frowning and glaring at the wall past him.

  
  
  
  
  
  


When Lucas had first moved to South Korea, he had idealistically thought that he would be able to make ends meet by picking up some kind of part-time job to work at in between his university requirements to help cover the costs of his rent and college tuition. 

In hindsight, he had been overly optimistic.

After the boy had actually come over, he quickly realised that he had not appropriately accounted for all of the unforeseen difficulties that came along with being a foreigner in strange land.

Not many bosses were willing to hire an inexperienced foreigner when they could easily take on a citizen instead and with less paperwork involved as well. 

Additionally, tuition fees for an overseas student were absurdly high in comparison with local students and his university had demanded his yearly payment to be made upfront with little financing options. 

At first, Lucas had made due by living off of his weekly allowance and buying the cheapest meals he could find, skipping them when necessary. Eventually though, the cost of rent and day-to-day living expenses kept accumulating and Lucas had wanted to avoid continuously digging into his parents’ savings, even if they were more than agreeable. 

Finally, when his father had a minor fall that required a hospital visit and all the complications that came along with that, Lucas had refused accepting any more money from his family.

Backed into a corner and staving off homesickness and stress, Lucas had found himself borrowing money from the wrong kind of people in his desperation and naivety. 

Even at the time that he took the offer, Lucas had known that it was a unfair deal that would ultimately land him in more debt than he had originally started with.

But they had been persuasive and he had been poor. 

Moonlighting as a thief is not something Lucas enjoys doing with his life however it was the quickest and most convenient way he could come up with to make the kind of cash that he needed. 

Regrettably, current Lucas has to live with the consequences of his past self’s actions and so he had shamefully resorted to stealing in order to meet his monthly repayments.

Alternatively, becoming intimately familiar with what it means to get on the bad side of an underworld gang is not exactly high on Lucas’ priority list.

Lucas cannot afford to miss a payment.

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Lucas, I’m sorry you had to go through that.” says Mark sadly, the mental image of a younger version of Lucas being lost and distraught tugging painfully on his heartstrings.

Shaking his head, Lucas denies “It’s not your fault. It’s mine.” 

The taller boy sighs and buries his head into his arms. 

"I knew what I was getting myself into, and I also knew what I was doing when I tried to get myself out.”

Although sympathetic, Mark tells him “This isn’t the right way to go about it. You should quit while you’re ahead, I won’t reveal it was you."

Bringing his hands down, Lucas sends Mark a grateful smile. “I know. And that’s really sweet of you, I don’t deserve you.”

“Don’t say that.” denies Mark with a stricken expression.

Tilting his head, Lucas says with conviction “It’s true though. You’re too good for me.” He averts his eyes from Mark, lowering them down to his lap in resignation.

Mark watches on sadly.

Visibly gathering himself together again, Lucas perks himself up and adds “It’s okay though. Things got better for me and I made a lot of friends.” He pauses and takes a glance at Mark as though sussing out the other’s reaction before continuing "I also ended up meeting Ten-hyung."

 _Ten, the man behind the number 10 cards?_

“That’s…” says Mark, trailing off awkwardly and leaving the sentence hanging in the air.

“Have you figured it out already?” asks Lucas, confirming Mark’s suspicions. “You’re really smart Mark, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you have.”

Nodding, Mark asks tentatively “Are you, are you guys working together?”

“Not really, no.” Lucas licks his lips anxiously before resting his chin in his palm. “I mean, I started doing this because of him but I’m only doing it to pay off my debt. He’s on a break at the moment because of a knee injury but he’s kinda like a professional? Although I probably shouldn’t be telling you this.”

Mark stays quiet, shrugging helplessly.

Undeterred by Mark’s silence, Lucas carries on “But then again, you already know everything anyway so it doesn’t make much difference, right?"

Sighing, Mark stares at the ceiling as he thinks of how to answer. 

“It’s not too late to stop, you know? If there’s a problem with those debt collectors then you can tell the police and I’ll make sure that we do something.” reasons Mark, with a touch of hope in his voice.

“Nah, I doubt it.” Lucas replies, sounding defeated. “These people are above the law. The police won’t be able to touch them.”

“How can you say that? You don’t know that. I’m sure the police will be able to do something.” argues Mark helplessly.

Lucas shakes his head sadly. “Nah, they won’t. Plus, I signed the contract myself. They can force me to repay them however they want."

“But they’re taking advantage of innocent people like you! If they are threatening you and making you resort to doing stuff like this, they must be doing all sorts of other horrible things too.” Mark throws his hands up in exasperation, looking terribly upset at the injustice of the situation on Lucas’ behalf. "I’m sure that if I dig around into their business a little deeper, I’ll be able to find something that can launch a full police investigation on them.”

“No, Mark!” Lucas says vehemently, leaning over the table and insistently grabbing Mark’s hands. “These are bad people, Mark. They have ways of getting around the police, inside men. Do not get yourself involved, do you hear me?”

Mark looks unconvinced.

“Don’t go looking for trouble because of me.” continues Lucas, voice carrying a level of urgency. "I don’t want you to get hurt. Please."

Unwillingly, Mark has no choice but to drop the issue. There is a stifling silence as neither party knows what to say, lost in an emotional standstill.

Eventually, one of them breaks it.

“I guess this is the end of us.” says Lucas heavily, standing up from his seat. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who I really was.”

Before Mark can reply, Lucas heads towards the back door of restaurant, slipping out quietly to the streets through the staff exit.

That conversation was a lot to take in and Mark is currently a mess of emotions. He is not sure how he had expected his confrontation with Lucas to go but Mark does not feel like he has resolved anything. In fact, it feels like everything has gotten more complicated than it was before.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Mark takes a quick look around the restaurant and notices that he is alone in the restaurant except for the staff. 

Mark had been so deeply invested in his conversation with Lucas that he had not noticed how much time had passed and that all of the other customers had already finished and left.

Taking out his wallet, Mark leaves enough on the table to cover his food and a handsome tip for all of the wait staff before he gets up to leave.

As he approaches the front counter, Mark overhears Chenle whisper to Renjun “Oh no, did they break up?”

Both of them startle when they notice Mark passing by them, Chenle flushing in embarrassment whilst Renjun frantically slaps his friend’s shoulder when he realises that Mark probably heard them.

“Sorry.” mutters Chenle, shrinking down self-consciously.

Smiling wryly, Mark pauses with one hand on the door before deciding to reply, answering Chenle’s earlier question.

“Something like that. I don’t think you’ll be seeing me around here anymore.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


The police station is bustling with activity as plans are being put into place in preparation for a big exhibition in the city, celebrating the 20th year anniversary of a major company specialising in crystal centrepieces and furniture items such as statues and chandeliers.

It is a regular marketing campaign however due to the expensive nature of the products, the police expect one of the card thieves to make an appearance.

“It is a prime opportunity for either the Joker Thief or the Card Thief to show up.” announces Johnny, as he scans through a list of the crystals that will be on display, listed in order of value.

“I agree,” pitches in Doyoung, “especially since the original Card Thief has been laying low recently. It’s possible that he has been laying in wait for a chance like this to come along.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


As is often the case with these things, Mark has been delegated with guard duty and is currently stationed at the south entrance of the exhibition hall. 

Dutifully, he walks along the stretch of the building back and forth, looking out for any strange happenings, but it is actually all just for appearances. 

Ever since Mark had discovered the true identity of  _both_  of the thieves, his mind has not been on the job anymore.

 _What the point of catching them when he already knows who they are? And what happens after that?_

Listlessly, Mark paces around in circles, half-heartedly listening in to Jaehyun and Sicheng conversing over the radio about crystal animal figurines before Doyoung tells them to be quiet.

Mark is idly staring off into the distance when he hears a scratching kind of noise coming from behind him, similar to the sound of gravel crunching beneath someone’s shoes.

Assuming that it is Johnny coming out to check on him, Mark turns around and instantly freezes when he sees who it is.

Starting from the well-worn combat boots, Mark trails his eyes up the other’s figure, past the long legs and a lean, muscular torso clad in black, up to a face that occupies Mark’s thoughts more than he would like to admit. Somehow, Mark is not sure if it because he has not seen the other in a while, but Lucas looks even better than Mark remembers.

Once he manages to snap out of his stupor, Mark marches up to Lucas hastily.

“What do you think you’re doing here?” shouts Mark, resisting the urge to grab the taller boy by the shoulders and physically shake him. “Do you know how heavy the police presence is at this event? There’s no way you’re gonna be able to get in and out of there with whatever it is you’ve got your eyes on, Lucas.”

Seeing that Lucas does not seem to be listening, staring back at Mark with unfocused eyes, Mark trails off weakly “You’re lucky that it was me who found you and not one of the others.”

Lucas whispers something back quietly, so softly that Mark does not think that he was meant to hear it.

 _“Maybe I wanted you to find me.”_

With a wavering heart, Mark steps around Lucas so that his body is placed between Lucas’ and the door, blocking the other from entering the building. Spreading his arms wide, Mark offers him a warning.

“I can’t let you do this.” says Mark, voice coming out steadier than he had thought.

Lucas looks down at him without saying anything and although Mark does not think the other would seriously hurt him, it almost feels like Lucas is sizing him up. Glancing between the two of them, Mark belatedly realises that there is a stark contrast in their physiques.

If Lucas truly intended to try and overpower him, Mark thinks that even with his training he would not be able to fend him off on his own without calling for backup.

 _And calling for help would mean that Lucas would be found._

Mark gazes up at the other in trepidation, Lucas still has not said anything or made a move, content with simply watching Mark from where he stands.

 _What is he planning?_  wonders Mark as he waits for a sign.

Expression carefully blank, Lucas takes a step closer towards him.

“S-stop!” cries out Mark, “It you come any closer, I will tell the others everything and they will come and arrest you.”

It is an empty threat but Mark hopes that it sounds convincing to Lucas and that the ultimatum will be enough to get him to give up on this for today.

Assessing him considerably, Lucas finally quirks the side of his lips into a grin and places another foot closer to Mark.

Holding his ground, Mark repeats vehemently “I’m serious! D-don’t think I won’t do it!”

Standing with his arms outstretched like this, Mark hysterically wonders if he looks like a small mouse trying to convince a cat not to eat it.

Watching him, Lucas breaks out into a full smile, a real one that seems almost fond and says soothingly “I understand. I won’t push you any further, Mark."

Surprised, Mark relaxes his stance, dropping his arms so that they hang limply at his sides. “Really? So you’ll leave then, just like that?”

Hands in his pockets, Lucas laughs and tilts his head. “Well, I can’t leave without stealing  _anything_ , can I?”

“What?” blurts out Mark, blinking rapidly in confusion.

Suddenly, Lucas is in front of him and Mark feels a hand on his cheek, gently cupping his jaw, and the next thing he knows is that there are a pair of soft and plush lips on his. He is so surprised that he does not have a chance to react and soon enough, Lucas retreats away.

With his eyes that had closed of their own accord, Mark chases the pleasant feeling, leaning into the kiss as Lucas pulls back.

Coming back to his senses, Mark opens his eyes and immediately he is met by Lucas’ gorgeous face, a roguish smirk present upon his lips.

“I’ll get out of your way now, I promise.” says Lucas, stepping back and turning around. 

As he leaves, he pauses and drops one last parting word over his shoulder.

“See you around, Mark."

There is a sense of finality in the air; this is the outcome that he wanted but Mark cannot help but feel this is not the way that he had wanted things to turn out.

It feels too much like goodbye.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


After the successful prevention of thievery during the crystal event, the police captain gather the team, thanking everyone for their efforts and congratulating them on a job well done.

It seems that they were celebrating too early however because in less than a week, the original Card Thief magically shows up and strikes again, starting up again in full force as though he was never gone and the police department quickly find themselves with a small collection of playing cards bearing the number 10.

Gathered in the meeting room, the team try to make heads or tails of the situation.

Sighing, Johnny rubs his face and says “I guess I spoke too soon.”

“It seems like the Card Thief is more active than ever now, and we haven’t caught wind of the Joker Thief all month.” says Jaehyun, summarising the situation neatly. Flipping his pen in his fingers, he asks “You don’t think that they were the same person, do you?”

“That doesn’t make sense. The way that they behaved was very different, and besides we caught a glimpse of the Joker on camera, remember? They aren’t the same person.” answers Doyoung, swivelling around in his roller chair. 

Besides him, Sicheng nods in agreement.

Tapping his finger on his chin, Johnny theorises “It is possible that the Card Thief was out of commission for some reason and the Joker Thief was covering for him.” Frowning, the police captain mumbles with a hint of worry in his tone. "He might have had an injury, or something.”

"Well, hopefully this means that we will only be dealing with one cat burglar thief again.” comments Doyoung, throwing in his two cents. “Having both of them running circles around us at the same time is more hassle than we need.”

“Perhaps, but how are we supposed to retrieve the items that the Joker thief stole if we still can’t pin him down? This is so frustrating.” groans Johnny, massaging his temples. 

Sighing, the police captain says reluctantly “I’m gonna have to report our lack of progress to Taeyong again. I hope we can at least catch one of them, don’t you agree, rookie?”

Numbly, Mark nods, too afraid to add anything to the discussion in case he accidentally spills the secrets he keeps in his mind.

If his guilty conscience grows any stronger, Mark just might end up blurting out everything he knows.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


As the days continue to pass by with no signs of activity from the Joker, Mark starts to wonder if he had successfully convinced Lucas to stop stealing.

Mark should be feeling happy about this revelation but instead he feels uneasy. 

 _If Lucas really has given up on a life of crime, then how will he repay the debt collectors that are constantly breathing down his back?_

As long as Lucas still owes them money, he will have to find some way to scrounge up enough cash to keep them happy, and Mark worries if the other boy is going to be okay.

The thoughts stay with him even in his spare time.

On his day off from work, Mark had spent the morning running errands before he received a call from Donghyuck inviting him to dinner with Jeno and Jaemin tonight. That had been around 2pm and Mark now found himself with several hours of free time to occupy before meeting up with his friends later.

Roaming around aimlessly, Mark had found his feet bringing him to the places that he and Lucas had frequented of their own accord; the convenience store near his house, the block around the museum, the exhibition hall, and of course, the quaint little Chinese restaurant.

Every location he passes reminds him of the other boy.

  
  
  
  
  
  


This is how Mark finds himself waiting outside the restaurant on the weekend in hopes of bumping into Lucas. 

It is the first time that Mark has seen the place whilst the sun is still up and it looks cosier, more homely than Mark remembers it being. The place is empty at the moment, a lull period between lunch and dinner, and the lights are off, shrouding the shop in darkness. 

In the glass windows, Mark can see his own reflection as he sits on a bench on the opposite side of the street.

Mark thinks he looks tired and small and wonders why Lucas sees any appeal in him.

The thought sparks a memory of the last time that they were together. Face flushing warm, Mark feels his ears reddening as he recalls the feel of Lucas’ lips on his.

A buzzing noise in his pocket brings Mark back to reality. 

Checking his phone, Mark sees that Jeno has sent him details of the place they are going to and Mark quickly texts back an approval in reply. 

It is nearly 5pm now and Mark decides that he has spent enough time waiting to come across Lucas for today. 

Standing up, Mark reaches the end of the street and is on the corner, waiting for light to change before crossing when he hears a high-pitched cackle of laughter pierce the calm of the afternoon.

Turning around, Mark notices Chenle and another boy that Mark has not seen before standing in front of the restaurant’s front door. The boy has brown hair and a kind-looking face with warm eyes but Mark’s attention is drawn to the taller boy that he and Chenle are talking to.

 _Lucas._

From where he stands farther away, Mark cannot pick up what they are saying but even without sound, Lucas exudes so much vibrance that Mark feels as though he can hear him; a flurry of gestures and enthusiasm.

Visibly excited, Chenle laughs at something again, clapping his hands and pushing the brown haired boy in amusement. The unknown boy seems calm and unbothered by his companions’ energy, nodding in agreement and looking around.

He catches Mark staring at them.

Chenle and Lucas both look up when they notice and Mark freezes up in panic for a second before smiling awkwardly. With a friendly grin, Chenle waves at Mark whilst Lucas sends him a smile that is soft and muted in comparison to what Mark is used to seeing on the taller’s face.

Gaze flitting between Mark and Lucas thoughtfully, Chenle wraps an arm around the third boy with them and opens the door to the restaurant, glancing meaningfully at Lucas and pointing surreptitiously in Mark’s direction before whisking both himself and the brown haired boy into the building.

Slowly, Lucas starts making his way over and Mark shuffles awkwardly on the spot as he waits, fingers fidgeting uneasily. 

He had been searching for Lucas but now that Mark has him, his feelings are all over the place and his mind is a mess. This is a common occurrence around the other boy and Mark wishes he had learnt how to suppress his reaction by now but he still has not.

“Mark,” begins Lucas in his customary low drawl, “how have you been?”

 _Worrying about you._

 _Thinking about you._

 _Missing you_ , thinks Mark inside his head.

Instead, Mark replies softly “I’ve been okay. What about you? Are you holding up alright?”

“Ah, same as always I guess.” says Lucas, shrugging indifferently, slipping his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. Mark must still look uneasy because Lucas adds on with a wider, more sincere smile. “I’ll be okay."

Frowning, Mark says “How can you be so sure? You still owe those people money, right?”

With a placating expression, Lucas replies easily “It’s okay, really. I won’t bother you anymore. I’ll figure something out.”

“Bother me? No, that’s not what I’m worried about.” Shaking his head urgently, Mark steps closer, bringing them within arm’s reach of each other.  Mark sighs and rakes a hand through his hair. "Just. Tell me some names. Give me something, and then I can look into them.”

“ _No, don’t you dare!_ ” roars Lucas urgently.

It is the first time that Mark has heard the other raise his voice at him like this. 

With a visible amount of fear painted on Lucas’ features, the other boy reiterates firmly “Don’t, Mark. Don’t go looking for trouble. I don’t want you to do this for me. Just forget about me, okay?”

Leaning in even closer, Mark whispers desperately “How can you say that? How can you expect me not to worry about you?”

Looking up at the other boy, Mark allows his eyes to soak up the image of the other’s face so close to his own. There is so little space between them now that Mark can feel Lucas’ breath caressing his face each time the other boy exhales.

Neither of them say a word and slowly, Lucas bring his face down, lowering it until his forehead rests gently on top of Mark’s own. His long arms wrap themselves around Mark and he feels so safe, so secure.

Mark’s phone chooses that moment to vibrate in his pocket but Mark ignores it, closing his eyes and basking in the moment of closeness with Lucas.

Eventually, Lucas pulls away, putting his hands on Mark’s shoulders as he says, gravely “Promise me that you won’t go chasing trouble over me.”

The tinkling sound of Mark’s ringtone disturbs the intimacy of their conversation. Mark goes to reach for his phone but Lucas interrupts him, his large hands softly cupping either side of Mark’s face, as he repeats himself.

“Promise me.”

As though Lucas has him under a spell, Mark finds himself agreeing.

“I promise.”

Seemingly satisfied, Lucas drops his hands, releasing Mark and gestures to Mark’s still ringing phone.

“I’ll see you again, Mark.” says Lucas, smiling and walking back towards the restaurant, leaving Mark to deal with Donghyuck’s fury on his own.

It does not feel like a farewell this time.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Almost a month passes with no signs of Lucas.

Mark does not actively look for the other boy but he does keep an eye out for Lucas while he does his patrols and around the area in general. 

It is like the other boy had vanished into thin air.

When Mark had finally caved and sought out Lucas’ friends at the restaurant, Renjun had mysteriously told him that Lucas was busy ‘sorting some things out’ but that he would come and find Mark when he is ready.

Perplexed, Mark had accepted the answer and relented but that does not make waiting for Lucas any easier.

The original Card Thief also has not made any moves, much to the police captain’s chagrin, and Mark finds himself itching to take a peek at the station’s criminal records to see if he can find out more information on the gangs and organised crime groups in the area.

However, each time Mark passes by the filing room, he remembers the promise that he made to Lucas and backtracks.

Mark will wait for Lucas to come to him.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Making his way back home with a light bounce in his step, Mark is in a good mood after clocking out from work today.

He and Jungwoo had been sent to discuss an incident at a dog cafe after someone had intentionally let all the dogs loose, but by the time that they arrived the dogs had already all been retrieved by the staff. 

A quick conversation with the cafe owner revealed that a former employee had released the dogs in resentment for being fired, and that they have sorted out their differences on their own and he will not be pressing any charges.

Cheerfully, Jungwoo had easily accepted the explanation and quickly went to play with the dogs before he and Mark got called back to the station. With more trepidation, Mark had watched from behind the fence of the play pen and would lightly pat the dogs that Jungwoo brought towards him instead.

All in all, it was an enjoyable day and Mark finds himself grinning as he checks his mail. 

Most of the letters are bills or advertisements but there are a few bank statements and as Mark flicks his way through, he pauses on one envelope in particular.

It is smaller than most of the others and is carefully blank, no address or sender or even a stamp.

Face falling, Mark grows suspicious.

Someone must have been delivered this to him in person, but why? And who?

Cautiously, Mark slips it open along the seal and his mouth drops when he sees the contents.

Housed inside of the little envelope is a small playing card, the Joker, and when Mark examines it closer he finds a time and address scrawled in the corner in messy handwriting.

In confusion, Mark searches up the address and discovers that it belongs to a park by the river.

 _Sunday night at the riverside?_  contemplates Mark, staring at the map on his phone in deliberation.

Turning his attention to the card again, he squints at it and notices that the Joker figure has a heart draw around its face in black marker pen.

It’s a date.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


The sun is setting low, illuminating the sky a beautiful collage of oranges and reds, and the river looks lovely in the sunset.

Mark makes his way towards the park and stops, feeling his breath catch in his throat. The boy sitting on the bench is more gorgeous than anything else that Mark has ever laid eyes on, making the scenery pale in comparison.

“Mark, I’m glad you came.” says Lucas, smiling fondly and standing up.

As Mark walks over, he notices that the other has a small stuffed toy lying next to him on the seat. Noticing him staring, Lucas picks up the little thing and holds it out towards Mark.

“I got this for you. I thought about getting you flowers or something, but I thought you might appreciate this more.” laughs Lucas sheepishly, wiggling the toy in Mark’s direction.

It is a tiny yellow lion, barely bigger than Mark’s hand, and looks like it is meant to be a baby rather than an adult. 

It bears some similarity with the red lion on Lucas’ bracelet charm.

“Thank you, Lucas.” says Mark, staring at the baby lion enraptured.

“It reminds me of you, somehow.” explains Lucas, eyeing the plush toy with a grin. He cheekily taps Mark on the nose and adds “Because it’s so small.”

Before Mark can retort, Lucas laughs loudly and says “But it will be capable of big things!”

Giggling in response, Mark scrunches up his nose and pretends to throw the toy at Lucas.

Watching the other boy smiling in laughter, Mark is hit with a wave of fondness.

 _I really missed you._

Catching him staring, Lucas bends down and swiftly grabs Mark’s free hand in one of his own.

Lucas smiles. “C’mon, I saved us a nice spot by the river."

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Is this okay?” asks Lucas hesitantly.

Between them, spread out on the picnic blanket, is a wide assortment of foods in plastic containers ranging from mixed rice, to spring rolls, to fried chicken.

“I had Kun-hyung help me out with most of these.” admits Lucas, raising a hand to scratch at his cheek in embarrassment. “But I did everything myself, I swear!”

“That’s okay! Really, thank you. I’m sure everything is as good as it looks.” says Mark immediately, reaching out to try a spring roll. “Wow, this is so good. You really made everything? Oh my gosh.”

Overcome with delight, Mark has to stop himself from shoving the entire roll into his mouth in one go and risk burning his tongue.

Laughing, Lucas says “Yeah, I really did.” He pauses and turns back to the bag he brought with him. “Well, almost everything. I didn’t make this.”

He takes out a plate of sliced watermelon.

Widening his eyes in shock, Mark exclaims happily. “You got me watermelon? I love watermelon.”

Nodding, Lucas chuckles “I know. But that’s not all.”

He turns and pulls another box out of the bag.

“This is kinda cheesy so I hope you don’t laugh at me.” explains Lucas, squirming with nervousness. Lucas points a finger at him and tries to threaten Mark but the effect is ruined by the large grin on Lucas’ own face. "You can’t laugh okay?

Smiling, Mark makes an ‘ok’ sign at him. “I won’t, I promise."

“Okay.” says Lucas apprehensively and uncovers the box, revealing a take-away container of ddeokbokki. “It’s from the place that we went to that one time, when I waited with you for your bus.”

Mark does not say anything and Lucas breaks out into nervous laughter. “That’s really cheesy, isn’t it? Argh.” 

Groaning in humiliation, Lucas buries his face into his hands.

“No! I’m just surprised.” says Mark, waving his hands in the air. “I didn’t think you’d remember.”

Looking Mark in the eyes, Lucas says whole-heartedly “Of course, I remember.”

It is Mark’s turn to hide his face now, averting his eyes and commenting “Wow, Lucas. This is all so much, you didn’t have to go to so much trouble for me.”

“No. I really did.” confides Lucas, ducking his head down so that he can meet Mark’s eyes. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I put you through and I want to thank you for worrying about me.”

Shaking his head quickly, Mark denies “No, no, it’s okay really! I didn’t do much!”

Lucas smiles at Mark and says “After you talked to me, I realised that I didn’t want to live like this anymore so I decided to do something about it."

“You didn’t go and confront them or something, did you?” asks Mark worriedly, already kneeling to stand up.

“Sort of. But nothing bad happened! It’s okay!” admits Lucas but quickly elaborates when Mark looks like he is about to freak out. “I repaid my debt in full. I’m free!”

“Wha- Huh?” squeaks Mark, confusion evident in his tone. "I mean, that’s great! But I don’t understand.”

“Yeah, it was a pretty big debt.” says Lucas wryly, slouching down for a moment before perking up again. “I sold everything that I stole and emptied out my apartment as well. My lease ends in like a week or so, and then I’ll probably crash with Ten-hyung for a while until I can find something cheaper. Of course, that alone wasn’t enough.”

Lucas pauses his story and flits his eyes up to meet Mark’s, gauging his reaction. Nodding encouragingly, Mark encourages the other to continue.

“I also got a job working with my friend Yuta-hyung and my boss was nice enough to give me some of my salary in advance!” Lucas cheers and punches a fist into the air, drawing the attention of a group of kids nearby. "And then I made up the balance with some help from my parents and a loan from my university. Honestly, it’s a lot, but if I work hard I think I can do it."

Lucas ends his speech with a pleased smile and suddenly finds himself with a lapful of Mark, the smaller boy’s arms around him and Mark’s face buried in Lucas’ neck.

“I’m really proud of you.” whispers Mark, squeezing him tighter.

“Mark.” says Lucas softly, watching him affectionately as Mark pulls back only to lean up again immediately after, placing a chaste kiss on Lucas’ lips.

“I’m gonna become someone that deserves to be with you.” promises Lucas, gazing down at Mark gently.

Shaking his head with a sweet smile, Mark denies it.

“You already are."

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


At the end of the week when the lease on Lucas’ old apartment runs out, Mark invites Lucas to live with him in Jaemin’s old room.

Lucas does not bring a lot of possessions with him when he moves in but Mark is happy to share in the meantime. The other boy does however, take up a lot of the empty space in Mark’s apartment, filling it up with his presence alone. 

As Mark stands in his, or rather  _their_ , home watching Lucas shuffle his furniture around, he recalls what Jaemin had said when he moved out all those months ago.

  
  
  
  


_“Maybe after I move out, you’ll end up sharing with an attractive stranger as your flatmate and finally get a boyfriend of your own. Although, of course, my replacement won’t be as hot as me.” Jaemin had joked, faking a sigh, his signature foxy grin on his handsome face._

 _Shoving him out the door, Mark had retaliated with a laugh “Don’t be silly, you’re just saying that to hide the fact that you’re actually sad that you’ll miss me.”_

 _“Perhaps,” Jaemin had replied before raising a cheeky eyebrow, “but you never know.”_

  
  
  
  


Lucas stands up after moving a shelf into place and rakes a hand through his hair, sighing softly. He turns and catches Mark looking at him and sends him an affectionate smile.

“What are you thinking about?” asks Lucas, making his way over.

Jaemin was wrong, Lucas may be attractive but he was certainly no stranger.

Reaching out, Mark grabs Lucas’ hands in his own and tugs him closer. Smiling up at him sweetly, Mark whispers out an answer before tiptoeing up and delivering a soft peck on Lucas’ lips.

“I was just thinking about my boyfriend.”

  
  
  
  


Jaemin was right about the boyfriend part.

**Author's Note:**

> i’m not entirely happy with this and there are plotholes everywhere but like i already wrote nearly 19k of lumark and the tag needs watering so here we are. i’m sorry it’s a mess! ;A;
> 
> also i managed to get all 18 boys in this somehow, even if i had to quickly mention yuta at the end ahaha :')
> 
> thanks for reading! ♥
> 
> [@neocheckmark](https://twitter.com/neocheckmark) on twitter - come scream at me about lumark bc i’m whipped for them /sobs into my hands


End file.
